Life
Life. It’s not a game… but also, it is. It’s a board game. You spin the wheel, and it decides your fate. Will you get married? Will you have kids? If yes, how many? Things of that nature. The point is, you don’t really get to choose what happens in your life, kind of like football players who declare for the NFL Draft.
In April, I was finally able to represent Women of Fantasy Football at the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, WI. (Shoutout to WOFF/ NFL Events veterans Kelly and Renee for showing me the ropes!) It was amazing. And overwhelming.
I sat in the press room for a handful of players and even asked some questions. Of course, I didn’t ask about football. They’ve been talking about that all night, so I asked silly questions that made them think.
I asked the Patriots’ newest LT, LSU’s Will Campbell, about food. (That switch from Cajun to coastal is no joke.)
Last night, I asked the newest @Patriots player, Will Campbell, what Louisiana food he’ll miss most. He has a solid game plan… #NFLDraft
(Thank you @ReneeFreakNFL for getting this video!) pic.twitter.com/qIVt2bQHJh
— 𝔉𝔞𝔦𝔱𝔥🌸 (@FF_LeapOfFaith) April 26, 2025
Guess Who?
The only other question I asked was posed to Malaki Starks, University of Georgia star and Baltimore Ravens’ new Safety. Someone asked him what he was doing right before he got the call that night. He said his family was competitive and was about to play Uno with them. So, naturally, I asked a board game question:
.@StarksMalaki mentioned his family was competitive, so I asked if they’ve ever gotten in any fights about games. Here’s what he had to say…#NFLDraft #DawgsInTheNFL#GoDawgs#RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/OqcJqB8TLO
— 𝔉𝔞𝔦𝔱𝔥🌸 (@FF_LeapOfFaith) April 25, 2025
Who HASN’T gotten in a fight with their family over a game of Monopoly? For all my older millennials, there’s an old Dane Cook bit that comes to mind — “Where’d you get all the pink 50s, Nana?!?” I love how Starks answered my silly question, then applied it to life and football.
Risk
With the 27th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Ravens selected Starks to supplement All-Pro Kyle Hamilton, giving him more freedom to roam and take advantage of his distinctive versatility. Starks is, admittedly, competitive by nature, and his time at Georgia only solidified that.
In his three years with Georgia, he combined for 127 solo tackles, 70 assists, and 6 tackles for loss in 43 games. But how will this translate into the NFL, and what does it mean for your IDP leagues?
Connect Four
The Ravens utilize a multi-faceted safety approach, often employing their versatility to play deep, near the line of scrimmage, or even as a hybrid role. As I said earlier, Starks will play backup to arguably one of the league’s best safeties, Kyle Hamilton. Almost all depth charts show Starks starting alongside Hamilton as free safety, freeing Hamilton up to be more versatile.
Last season, Ravens safety Marcus Williams was injured, and Ar’Darius Washington took over. Combined as “safety not named Kyle Hamilton,” they were good enough to be Safety 20 in most fantasy scoring. If you missed it, the Ravens released Williams in March, and Washington tore his Achilles in May. So there’s a need for Starks.
Chess, Not Checkers
Would I draft Malaki Starks this year? If your IDP league requires safeties, absolutely. Both in redraft and most definitely in your dynasty leagues. If the Ravens start Starks, which is probable, considering his draft position, then he’s likely to be a steal.
Don’t be afraid to grab him. Just because Baltimore already has one stellar safety doesn’t mean they can’t have two. I don’t think I’d take Starks in the top five rounds, but he’s all but guaranteed to be a late-round asset.
Thanks for reading my article on Malaki Starks! Did you guess the theme? I usually stick to editing, but I usually write an article a year about my Patriots, but this year’s article is dedicated to my favorite NCAA team. If you feel like reading any of my other articles, you can do so here.
Follow me on Twitter at @FF_LeapOfFaith, and, more importantly, go follow @WomenOf_FF and be sure to subscribe to the Women of Fantasy Football YouTube channel!
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